Kavurma: A feast that marks Kurban festivities

As soon as schools, government offices and workplaces closed for Eid al-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice), young couples, university students and others head to their family homes because eid is most meaningful when it is spent with a crowd. Those who live abroad know well that eid breakfast is the hardest thing to miss when you spend the holiday away from family. As it is tradition, the men of the house go to the mosque for to perform the eid morning prayer while women prepare the eid breakfast. Although crowded families have transformed into nuclear families over time, the importance of eid breakfast still remains the same. The eid breakfast is a time of joy, which even puts a smile on the face of the sleepiest family member, and it causes everyone to forego their diets for few days.

There might be a vast variety of delicious food on the eid breakfast table, but "kavurma" (braised meat) is the favorite of all. Men go to the slaughterhouse after the morning prayer and before noon, they return with the share of meat for the household. Although dieticians say it is hard to digest and chefs recommend letting it rest at least a day, kavurma – made by the meat of the sacrificed animal – is the jewel of the eid breakfast table. The recipe of braised calf or lamb has important key points. For instance, in order for it to be tasty and tender, the fatty part of the meat is placed into the pan without adding animal fat or oil. As it is served on the breakfast table, kavurma is cooked without onion. To prevent the meat from releasing its water, it is "sealed" by cooking it on high heat, and then adding a glass of water to the pot. Lastly, salt and spices are added after the meat is cooked in order to prevent the meat from becoming hard.